Meridian 861 User's Guide Page 1

861 Reference Digital Surround Controller User Guide

6IntroductionSpecificationsAudio in and out Up to 12 analogue inputs. User-adjustable sensitivity. Re-nameable legends. Up to 12 digital inputs. Re-na

7Using the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerUsing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerThis chapter provides a summary of the function

8Using the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerFront panel keysOffDSP MuteSourceReference Digital Surround Controller 861CalibrateConfigureAssign

9Using the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerMSR+ keys1OpenOpenAudioAudioCD147FunctionFunctionRADIO2580DVD369AUX DISCReturnRecordRecordTAPEEnte

10Using the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerSwitching on and offWhen not playing, the digital surround controller should be left in the stand

11Using the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerSelecting a sourceThe digital surround controller provides the following 12 sources:CD, Radio, DV

12Using the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerAdjusting the volumeThe 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller adjusts the volume in precise s

13Using the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerChanging the DSP presetEach source has a set of DSP presets associated with it, one for each of t

14Using the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerThe 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller displays information about the current settings on

15Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerCustomising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerIn addition to being able to chang

iiPrefaceImportant safety instructionsRead the instructions.Keep these instructions.Follow all instructions.Do not use this apparatus near water.Clean

16Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerLocking and unlocking the menusTo simplify the normal operation of the digital surround con

17Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerChanging the DSP parametersEach DSP preset provides a series of parameters that you can var

18Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerTo change a DSP parameterMake sure the menus are unlocked; see To unlock the menus, page 16

19Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerThe digital surround controller provides sophisticated treble and bass controls, to allow y

20Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerChanging the listening positionA conventional stereo system provides a single balance contr

21Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerChanging the integration of the centreIf you have a centre loudspeaker you can adjust its r

22Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerChanging the spaciousness of the soundYou can adjust the spaciousness of the sound by alter

23Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerChanging the LipSyncTo adjust the LipSyncThe LipSync parameter is a feature originated by M

24Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerChanging the DSP preset for a sourceEach source has an appropriate DSP preset associated wi

25Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerDefining your own presetsThe 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller allows you to modify

iiiContentsContentsIntroduction 1The 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller 2DSP presets and layouts 4Specifications 6Using the 861 Reference D

26Customising the 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller

27DSP PresetsDSP presetsThis chapter gives technical information about each of the DSP presets built in to the 861 Reference Digital Surround Controll

28DSP PresetsDSP presets for two-channel materialThe digital surround controller provides several signal processing options for two-channel material.

29DSP PresetsAmbisonic surround sound is quite unlike conventional stereo. A special microphone can be used to capture the sound of the original perfo

30DSP PresetsPLIIx MusicThe PLIIx Music preset is designed to use the Pro Logic IIx DSP processing mode to decode music sources. It provides additiona

31DSP PresetsPLIIx Movie and PLIIx THX DSP preset parametersParameter Options What it changesSurrounds Rear, Side, All Which of the four surround ch

32DSP PresetsDSP presets for multichannel materialMultichannel audio signals can come from either encoded data streams (such as Dolby Digital) or as d

33DSP PresetsTHXAs with the PLIIx THX DSP preset, THX re-equalises the signals to suit domestic listening conditions, and applies frequency-response c

34DSP PresetsUsing dynamic range controlIf the input format is Dolby Digital, the 5.1 Movie DSP presets provide an additional Compress parameter to al

35Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerInstalling the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerThis chapter explains how to install

ivPrefaceCopyright and acknowledgementsSales and service in the UKMeridian Audio Ltd Latham Road Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE29 6YE EnglandTel (01480)

36Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerUnpackingThe 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller is supplied with the following access

37Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerAnalogue inputs – IA04Use this output To connect to thisA1 to A6 and B1 to B6* The analogue

38Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerDigital inputs – IE44Use this input To connect to thisD1 to D6* The digital output of a sour

39Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerApplicationsTo connect to a digital source (eg G06 24-bit CD Player)861 Digital Surround Con

40Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerTo connect to a digital source using SpeakerLink (eg 808.3)SpeakerLink leadSPEAKERLINKOUTPUT

41Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerTo connect to a source with analogue multichannel outputs (eg SACD player)861 Reference Digi

42Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerTo connect to DSP loudspeakers using SpeakerLink (daisy chain)861 Reference Digital Surround

43Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerTo connect to DSP loudspeakers using SpeakerLink (home run)861 Reference Digital Surround Co

44Installing the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerTo connect to other Meridian G Series or 800 Series equipmentG Series, 500 Series, or 800 Se

45Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerConfiguring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerThis chapter explains how to set u

1IntroductionIntroductionWelcome to the Meridian 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller.This User Guide provides full information about using the s

46Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerChoosing a standard settingThe digital surround controller provides six standard settings,

47Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerSetting up the digital surround controller with other Meridian equipmentIf you are using th

48Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerCalibrating the systemTo help you to set up your installation to give the best possible sou

49Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerLevels These tests allow you to adjust the output level to each speaker individually, and i

50Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerFine tuningThese tests allow you to fine-tune the phase and delay of each speaker when used

51Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerSetting up sourcesThis section explains how to use Gain/Sub mode to set up the sources conn

52Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerFor THX loudspeaker systems you should leave the crossover setting at 80Hz.80Hz is also the

53Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerSinewave sweep testThe 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller includes a sinewave signal

54Configuring the 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller

55IndexIndexAAcademy (DSP parameter) 31accessories 36Ambisonics (DSP preset) 28, 33analogue inputs 37analogue source, connecting 39analogue sourc

2IntroductionThe 861 Reference Digital Surround ControllerDigital signal processing, or DSP, is a technique pioneered by Meridian in hi-fi products fo

56IndexDSP presets (continued)Trifield 28two-channel 28user-defining 25dynamic range control 34Ffront panel keys 8GGain/Sub mode 51HHD621 HDMI A

57IndexS Filter (DSP parameter) 28, 29, 32Sides (DSP parameter) 17, 20side speakerschanging the relative delay 22changing the relative level 20sin

58Index

3IntroductionProcessingThe Meridian 861 routes all signals – if necessary via a 24-bit A/D converter – into the digital domain for processing in the h

4IntroductionThe 861 provides an extensive range of options for decoding and processing analogue and digital signals for multichannel reproduction.Mus

5IntroductionMultichannel music recordingsThe following presets are recommended for music recordings containing more than two channels:Discrete render